"The Old Celts knew, that of all the sounds that mankind could make,
only the pipes could be heard in both worlds."

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Your email will never be sold, and I won't burden you with tons of meaningless drivel (just an occasional spoonful!) I will keep you posted a couple times a month on upcoming shows, music releases,and the occasional free download for fan feedback! I look forward to writing you.
Mike "Pops" McGee

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

And so, as I sat around I began to ponder….. How bad would it be to become a Ren Fair/SCA vendor? Have a small enclosed trailer to transport your pavilion and wares, traveling from one event to the next, and then returning home for the Winter. You could simultaneously sell your wares on Ebay and at the event, running all your credit transactions through Paypal or some such service.

A good source of inventory would be critical, from a wholesaler who could ship timely to different locations as you traveled. Deciding what to sell would be a challenge. Establishing price points for the product could also be an issue. There is also the merchant’s fee to consider as well as various local sales taxes. Also there is the cost of living on the road. I'm sure it wasn't this complicated in Middle Ages!

Wouldn’t it be grand though! I used to ride a motorcycle, and I attended many of the larger rallies. The merchants were always a main attraction. You knew they had substantial mark-ups, but it was all stuff you had never seen before. Very exciting.

Selling your wares by day, piping by the fire of an evening, all the while traveling the country with some rather colorful individuals.

Sadly, as a consultant by trade my first inclination is to develop a Business Plan, and then there goes the Majik!

El Zaribah Shrine Bagpiper

"tis himself."

I ply my craft in the Great Southwestern Desert,as my Little Brother says "midway between sunrise over the haunted Superstition Mnts. and sunset over the desolate White Tank range. For the less poetic that would be Phoenix, Arizona. Ah, but where do I live? High on the Colorado Plateau. Deep with in an ancient forest that turned to stone millions of years ago!
I play bagpipes. Perhaps some still, starry, desert evening you've heard my piping on the soft, warm night air of the vast desert?
You'll know it's me, by the sparing use of ornamentation. I just refuse to guild the lilly. But that's OK! You see, the secret to piping is to play for yourself. If you're having fun, those around you will too. As long as the drones and chanter fill your heart and the hearts of those around you with mirth and joy, the ruckus you raise will be your own reward! Believe me when I tell you that nothing can raise a ruckus like a stand of bagpipes. No wonder the Saxons declared them an "instrument of war"!